There is “mutual interest” between Penn State and Matt Campbell to make the winningest coach in Iowa State history the next head coach of the Nittany Lions, according to a new report from ESPN, and a post from reporter Max Olson on X.
Penn State has been searching for a new head coach since it surprisingly fired James Franklin on October 12th. Penn State shifted its attention after BYU coach Kalani Sitake chose to remain with the Cougars earlier this week and agreed to a long-term extension.
Campbell and Penn State first connected on Wednesday, per the report, and are still considered to be “early in the process”. Matt Campbell has been the target of many college and NFL jobs over the years, but has elected to stay loyal to Iowa State. This season, the Cyclones went 8-4, which included a mid-season swoon that saw the Cyclones lose four in a row. But they finished the season with three-straight wins to reach the eight-win mark for the fifth time in Campbell’s tenure.
Matt Campbell’s career at Iowa State transformed the Cyclones from a perennial Big 12 afterthought into a consistent, tough, nationally respected program. Taking over in 2016, Campbell led ISU to five consecutive winning conference records from 2017–2021 and delivered the school’s first-ever New Year’s Six bowl win in the 2020 Fiesta Bowl. He developed a physical, disciplined identity, produced NFL talent like Brock Purdy and Breece Hall, and engineered multiple top-10 upsets. Iowa State has been bowl eligible in four of their five seasons since the 2020 Fiesta Bowl, including last year’s program-best 11-win season, which included a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game.
Campbell is 72-55 during his tenure at Iowa State and is the three-time Big 12 Football Coach of the Year.
